NBA: Kobe, West rip East

Bryant gets MVP award in 153-132 all-star game rout

LAS VEGAS -- The Eastern Conference turned the NBA's big game in Las Vegas into a dud.

Overmatched by the West -- or perhaps worn out from a weekend of partying in Sin City -- the East bumbled its way to a 153-132 loss Sunday night in the All-Star game.

Kobe Bryant had 31 points and six of the West's record 52 assists and was the game MVP.

Amare Stoudemire added 29 points for the West, which quickly built a big lead and held it this time, a year after blowing a 21-point cushion in a loss in Houston.

LeBron James scored 28 points for the East, and Dwight Howard had 20 points and 12 rebounds, but offense wasn't the problem -- the East allowed a record 69 field goals.

An event that some locals called the biggest thing to hit Las Vegas featured showgirls, acrobats, magicians and Elvis impersonators -- all the glitz and glamour that this city offers in excess.

Good thing the players had plenty to deflect the attention away from them.

The East was hovering at barely 40 percent shooting for nearly all of the first three quarters in a game that isn't known for its defensive intensity before a late flurry during garbage time brought it up to 49 percent.

Late All-Star addition Carmelo Anthony scored 20 points and Shawn Marion of Phoenix, who played at the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV, added 18.

Dwyane Wade had only 10 points on 5-of-12 shooting, but he had reason to be tired after hosting events Thursday and Friday night.

Those were two of the many functions that kept the players out until all hours of the night.

Still, the game was secondary to the show in this most unusual of All-Star games -- and it was quite a show.

With tickets unavailable to the public, brokers were asking more than $20,000 for a top seat.

Jay-Z, Beyonce, Diddy, Prince, Eva Longoria and Adam Sandler were among those who scored spots in the front row, and Christina Aguilera and Toni Braxton performed at halftime.

The event started with a celebrity red carpet, where Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, flanked as usual by his showgirls and backed by entertainer Wayne Newton, vowed again to get the NBA here full-time with a new arena to play in.

Magicians Siegfried and Roy then welcomed the fans to Las Vegas, before introducing the showgirls who escorted Newton out to the stage for a performance of "Viva Las Vegas."

After the East All-Stars were introduced, Newton took the stage again for another performance before the West players were announced.

After another Las Vegas entertainer, Danny Gans, sang the national anthem, it was finally time for some basketball -- after about a 45-minute pregame.

Perhaps that took its toll on the players. There were missed dunks and passes thrown out of bounds by both teams, but the East was by far the worst. They missed seven of their first nine shots, including a blown dunk attempt by Shaquille O'Neal.

James later almost injured himself when he tried to throw himself a pass off the backboard and tumbled over another player, and Jermaine O'Neal appeared to tip in a basket for the West.

A first-quarter timeout brought out some performers from a show at the Tropicana, but there was a serious moment at the end of the period when Bill Russell was among the former Boston Celtics who took the court with the daughter of Red Auerbach, who died last year.

The West led 39-31 at the end of one, and quickly pushed that lead into double digits in the second quarter -- Shaquille O'Neal missed another dunk during that stretch.

The lead ballooned to 23 when Bryant nailed a 3-pointer and followed with a dunk on the next possession, and the West was up 79-59 at halftime.

Bryant had 17 points at halftime and Anthony added 12. James scored 16 for the East, but none of its other players was in double figures.

The East climbed out of a 21-point deficit to win last year's game in Houston, but didn't show nearly the fight this time. Stoudemire fueled a 10-0 run that made it 95-65 with 8:20 remaining in the third quarter, and the West was up by 31 heading to the fourth.